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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22509013">Coda</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandmaidenOfHorror/pseuds/HandmaidenOfHorror'>HandmaidenOfHorror</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Post-Canon, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:47:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22509013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandmaidenOfHorror/pseuds/HandmaidenOfHorror</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Years after the end of the series, Shiori gathers the courage to explore the abandoned park recurring in her dreams.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arisugawa Juri/Takatsuki Shiori</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Femflash February 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Coda</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilMuffins/gifts">EvilMuffins</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shiori Takatsuki was standing at the gates of Ohtori Park. She had a strong feelings that the place holds the answers to all the questions the girl has. For years, she has always felt that there’s something missing. She returned to Ohtori after a year in another school, met Juri again and slowly made up with her childhood friend, joining the school fencing club and eventually confessing her feelings. It’s all been years ago, and now both Shiori and Juri are days from graduating high school. This is the last chance to try to uncover any mysteries.</p><p>There are several elements of her stay in Ohtori that Shiori doesn’t really recall. For example, what were the exact circumstances of her and Juri making up? Shiori remembers that initially the relation between them was very tense, especially after she discovered that Juri loved her all that time (how did she learn it?), but then they were friends again. What happened? One night, she dreamt that Ruka returned to the school – but that’s impossible, Ruka died long ago, leading her to change schools out of grief.</p><p>She had strange recurring dreams. A red car (being a passenger: not being in control of your live; red: passion, anger, aggression, power, impulsiveness, or a sense of danger – <em>seems fair</em>, thought Shiori after reading the interpretation is a dream reading website, as those were the feelings plaguing her shortly after her return to school), and a duel (a conflict, <em>also fair</em>) in a large duel area on the top of the hill in the Ohtori Park.</p><p>On one hand, the meaning of the dreams was pretty obvious, relating to her mental state, difficult and complex relationship with Juri and mourning over Ruka’s passing. However, she couldn’t help but find something missing – or somebody, not only Ruka (<em>who were dead!</em>). Shiori vaguely recalls a pink haired girl and a purple haired girl attending a lower class, but no other students seemed to remember them, though Juri and Miki also felt the two girls to be strangely familiar. And the specific area reappearing in her dreams may hold the answers to her questions.</p><p>Shiori pressed the door handle of the park’s gate. As expected, the gate didn’t open – the park has been closed ever since she returned to the school. But Shiori was prepared for that – silently apologizing to the school staff, she struck the wooden sword she took from the kendo club several times on the gate, which opened with a loud creak. Shiori took a look at the park. It was run down and the vegetation turned wild, she couldn’t even see the pathways. The girl got a grip on herself and entered the park, walking towards the hill towering over it.</p><p>The park turned out to be in an even worse condition than it seemed from the outside. Dense trees meant that it was dark around, and the bushes - often wild roses - made walking difficult. At one point, Shiori realized that she was lost – were she walking straight forward, she should have reached the top of the hill long ago. She tried not to panic, but she got anxious anyways, bringing her strange and dark visions.</p><p>She saw herself hurting Juri in a multitude of ways, emotionally (<em>her actions were wrong, she’s very sorry, she loves Juri</em>) and psychically (<em>no, she would never</em>) and sexually (<em>no no no stop don’t show me this</em>). Shiori closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them, she caught a glimpse of light on her sword – now a real one, covered in blood.</p><p>Shiori screamed and threw the sword away in fear. Almost immediately, she heard a familiar voice.</p><p>“Shiori!”, she heard Juri’s voice and soon enough the girl emerged from the bushes. Shiori has never felt more glad in her live to see somebody.</p><p>“Juri!”, she cried, hugging her girlfriend, “How did you know where to find me?”</p><p>“Miki heard you breaking the gate and told me, “ she looked a Shiori with a serious expression on her face, “This place is very strange and unsetting, there’s a rumor that some secret society had meetings on the hill and brainwashed students to forget about it.”</p><p>“Have you been here before?”, asked Shiori.</p><p>“Yes, but there’s nothing out of place really.  There’s a clearing at the top of the hill that gives a nice view of Ohtori though, we can climb together if you want you.”</p><p>“I’d like to”, replied Shiori. She looked at the sword she threw away. It was a normal wooden sword. Why did Shiori hallucinate it being made of metal and bloody? She felt uneasy as she picked it. She felt Juri take here hand and looked at her. Juri looked serious as she usually did, but from years of interactions Shiori knew that Juri worried about her and loved her. Shiori smiled at her and grasped her hand firmly.</p><p>The two girls climbed the hill in silence, holding hands. It turned out not to be as tall as Shiori though (fear surely makes things seem enormous). On the top, there was indeed a clearing with a beautiful view of Ohtori bay. They also found stone stairs only partially covered with grass and weeds, making the descent much easier than climbing.</p><p>At the bottom of the stairs the girls discovered a broken fountain with rose decorations. Shiori felt that somewhat, she is the closest to the answers that she ever was. However, she quickly remembered the scary and disturbing visions she had when alone in the park, and realized that she doesn’t really want the know the answers any longer.</p><p>When the girls left the park, the sun was starting to set. The warm rays gave everything around them an orange shine. Shiori felt relief and smiled to Juri.</p><p>“Thank you for coming for me, I was lost and very scared and if you didn’t help me I might have ended up spending the night in the park,” said the girl.</p><p>“That’s what girlfriends do, we care for each other and help each other”, replied Juri.</p><p>Shiori smiled widely, “Indeed! Now let’s go to the dormitory, I think I’ll need your help packing.”</p><p>The girls left the Ohtori Park and its mysteries behind.</p>
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